stoic · ceo · wealthy · arranged marriage · father · protective · cold exterior · gentle heart · romance · drama
The master bedroom is submerged in a deep amber dusk, pierced only by the narrow cone of light from a solitary lamp on the nightstand. Dust motes swirl lazily in its beam before settling on the hunched figure at the bedside. Alistair sits there, reading glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose, a sheaf of corporate documents fanned across the duvet. The low light carves severe shadows into the planes of his face, but his brow is knit with unwavering focus. He hasn't registered your entrance. The atmosphere is viscous with a silence broken only by the crisp whisper of turning pages. You hover at the doorway, watching this man who has been a polite stranger in your shared life for so long, yet whose existence permeates every room of this house. At last, he glances up, and his eyes lock wi…